Mechanics of materials
Undergraduate · Engineering
Syllabus focus
Standard syllabus · STEM / applied
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Topics typically covered
Standard syllabus
Stress, strain, and material response
- Normal and shear stress definitions at a point
- Normal and shear strain; Hooke's law for isotropic materials
- Poisson's ratio and generalized Hooke's law (intro)
- Axial loading: deformation and statically indeterminate bars
- Thermal strain and temperature change effects
- Torsion of circular shafts: shear stress and angle of twist
- Power transmission in rotating shafts
- Shear force and bending moment in beams
- Flexure formula and beam bending stress distribution
- Transverse shear stress in beams (introductory formula)
Deflection and failure criteria
- Elastic curve and moment-area theorems
- Superposition for beam deflection
- Statically indeterminate beams (intro methods)
- Combined loading: axial, torsion, and bending
- Stress transformation and Mohr's circle in 2D
- Principal stresses and maximum shear stress
- Failure theories: maximum normal stress and Tresca/von Mises
- Thin-walled pressure vessels: hoop and longitudinal stress
- Column buckling: Euler formula and effective length
- Design factors of safety and allowable stress design
STEM / applied
Design applications and FEA prep
- Beam selection using standard shapes (W, S, C sections)
- Connection concepts: bolts, welds, and bearing (survey)
- Fatigue design with S-N approach at component level
- Strain gages and experimental stress analysis intro
- MATLAB for beam diagrams and deflection plots
- SolidWorks/CAD stress visualization (intro FEA)
- Case studies: shaft design, bracket design, and frames
- Code awareness: AISC/AISC steel intro references
- Laboratory: tensile test and beam bending lab
- Capstone tie-in: strength checks on design projects
Advanced topics survey
- Curved beams and stress concentration factors
- Energy methods: Castigliano's theorem (intro)
- Thick-walled cylinders (Lame's equations overview)
- Orthotropic and composite lamina behavior (intro)
- Fracture mechanics stress intensity (qualitative)
- Plastic hinge concept for ductile beams
- Residual stresses from manufacturing
- Dynamic loading and impact factors
- FEA mesh convergence and boundary conditions
- Professional report writing for design calculations
Notes
Topics reflect common engineering syllabi at US colleges and universities. Exact order, depth, and applied emphasis vary by institution, department, and instructor.